


Nest-Building

by cofax



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Episode Related, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-23
Updated: 2009-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-03 15:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cofax/pseuds/cofax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Major Sheppard was not missing, merely misplaced. Season 1, after "The Storm".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nest-Building

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Minnow.

It was three days after the defeat of the Genii that Teyla went looking for Major Sheppard, and failed to find him. At mid-day he was usually to be found in the dining hall, sparring with Doctor McKay or talking about sports with some of the marines. In the afternoon, according to what she knew of his schedule, he often met with Doctor Weir and Doctor McKay to discuss personnel and logistics issues, before spending the rest of the afternoon in the training rooms or doing paperwork.

But Major Sheppard was in none of these places.

Why Teyla was looking for him was not particularly important; she had a question about the usefulness of some of the Earthers' weaponry in the field. But after failing to find him in the first two places she looked, and having nothing more pressing on her mind, she set herself to track him down.

It would be a useful exercise; Atlantis was a big city and it behooved her to know it as well as, or better than, any of the Earthers did. It was, after all, her ancestors who had built it.

She started on one of the south piers, because she recalled that the Major liked to be near the water. It was a pleasant walk. The passage of the great storm had left the ocean waters still, although sometimes some piece of debris would surface, the body of a sea-creature or some deep ocean vegetation, that would cause a burst of excitement among the scientists. But most of that activity was on the east side of the city; here on the south there was just the smooth roll of the grey-blue water, and the endless whisper of the wind.

It was peaceful, and interesting, exploring the workshops and residences along the pier; but there was no Sheppard to be found. Teyla raised a thoughtful eyebrow and continued on, moving deeper into the city.

She found Aiden prowling through the jumper bay. He was stalking along, popping his head into each of the little ships, looking up, down, and even under, everything in the vast room. She was invisible and silent where she stood in the shadowed doorway, and he had covered half the space before she stepped out and spoke his name.

He spun around, dropping his hand towards the gun strapped to his thigh, and then relaxed visibly. "Teyla!"

"What were you looking for?" She asked, crossing towards him.

He shrugged, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I, um. Just wanted to make sure the Genii didn't leave any presents behind."

"Ah," she said, and nodded. "And you _are_ an explosives expert..."

He smiled. "That's right. Got the fancy paper and everything."

"But you found nothing?"

"Nada," he said. He shrugged and looked around the bay again. "Probably a stupid idea, anyway. I'm sure Doctor McKay or Major Sheppard would have spotted anything."

"Perhaps," she agreed. "Speaking of Major Sheppard, have you seen him today?"

"Not since breakfast," he answered. "Why?"

"He is not...anywhere he usually is," she said at last. "I don't think he's in danger," she added quickly. "I simply wonder where he is."

"Shouldn't be that hard to find him, though. Doctor McKay's got one of those life-signs detectors."

Teyla considered this; but her interest in finding Sheppard had evolved into actual concern, despite her reassuring words. "I think that might be wise. Shall we?"

"After you, ma'am," he said with a smile and a courteous wave of his hand.

They found McKay where he, at least, was expected to be, in the main engineering lab, surrounded by equipment and three empty coffee cups. Teyla wondered if the cafeteria staff knew where all their mugs were going, and made a mental note to carry them back at some point. Janet Begay would appreciate it, and Teyla could use the opportunity to ask for more _lasagna_.

"What is it now?" McKay snapped when Ford waved at him over the top of his laptop. "Don't you know I've got better things to do than playing cowboys and Indians on the north pier? Like fixing all the stupid broken things the Genii screwed up while they were here?"

"That ain't it, Doctor McKay," said Ford genially, although Teyla could see the remark had stung him, for some reason that escaped her. "We're just here looking for the Major, thought we could borrow your tricorder?"

McKay gaped. "Did you hear that?" he asked the room at large. "You," he said, poking at Ford, "do _not_ get to name things. Especially not names from classic television! Besides," he ran down, "they'd all think I did it."

"Because everyone knows how good Rodney is at naming things," commented Doctor Zelenka from the other side of the room. McKay threw something at him; it bounced harmlessly off the wall. Zelenka muttered something Teyla didn't understand and ducked back behind his own laptop.

"So you wanted--wait," said McKay, bringing his attention back to Ford and Teyla. "Major Sheppard's missing?"

"Not missing," said Teyla. "Merely misplaced, perhaps." She began to realize that the Major might have a very good reason for disappearing; despite the vast size of the city, there seemed to be few places where one could be alone. The Gateroom, the jumper bay, the labs, the residential quarters: they were all busy with people making repairs, correcting problems caused by the Genii, the storm, or the power surge.

McKay hopped off his lab stool and yanked open a drawer. "Ow!" he grumbled, and switched hands. He picked up the life signs detector with his right hand instead of his left. "Here," he said, and turned the detector on. "It won't find Sheppard specifically, but--"

Teyla listened to him talk about the detector, her eyes captured by the lump of the bandage under McKay's shirt. He, Elizabeth, and Sheppard had been alone here with the Genii. But surely that was not what concerned the Major: he was used to operating alone, clearly comfortable at making military decisions. Decisions, yes, but--

"Excuse me, Doctor McKay," she interrupted. "Lieutenant Ford," she asked, "Major Sheppard was primarily a pilot on your planet, correct?"

"That's right. Choppers mostly, I think. He flew medevac in Afghanistan."

She shook her head, frustrated. "No, I mean--how much combat has the Major actually seen? Do you know?"

Ford shrugged, his ordinarily cheerful face baffled.

"Did you see him?" protested McKay. "He was totally Rambo! Die Hard! He took out all those Genii--" He stumbled to a halt as, Teyla suspected, his brain caught up to his tongue.

"He did," she agreed. "And then more when he put the Gate shield up." Many, many more.

"Oh," said McKay, after a pause.

"I think that is why we have not seen him," Teyla said softly. "Even for a soldier with Sheppard's skills, so many deaths are weary to carry."

"Well, what do we do, then?" asked Ford. "Just leave him alone?"

McKay shook his head. "Leave him alone to stew over something he shouldn't even feel guilty about? They would have killed us all! So he killed a few--it worked, didn't it? He saved me, and I saved the city." But despite his insistence, his mouth twisted sourly. "Look, we can find him easily with this," and he shook the life-signs detector. "And then we beat him up for being a drama queen and drag him back to civilization."

Ford looked doubtful, but Teyla nodded. "I think that Doctor McKay is correct. The Major has been alone long enough. Among my people--" she hesitated. These were not her people--not Athosians, she corrected herself. They had their own ways. "Let us find him."

In the end, it wasn't hard. McKay, in fact, realized where Sheppard had gone after the first ten minutes of climbing. He complained all the way, but kept up with Ford and Teyla as they went up flight after flight of stairs. The stairs narrowed, eventually, and became something closer to a ladder when they left the internal stairwell and moved outside to spiral up and around the tower.

Sheppard sat alone and cross-legged at the very highest point in the city, on a tiny platform that was barely large enough for them all to stand on. McKay squeezed in behind Sheppard, clinging to the narrow pole that thrust high above their heads. The wind was strong, rattling in their jackets. Teyla brushed hair out of her eyes and wished for a hair-tie.

"Rodney," said Sheppard, tilting his head and looking up at McKay as if he were an unexpected piece of strategic information, one that would disrupt a careful battle plan. "Teyla, Ford."

"Major Sheppard," said Teyla, when neither of her companions seemed about to say anything. "I am surprised to see you here."

He straightened a little at that, his eyes sparking with amusement. "Uh-huh."

"May we join you?" she asked. McKay rolled his eyes at her from behind Sheppard.

Sheppard shrugged. "Be my guest."

"Great," said Ford, and dropped down to lean against the low railing. "That was some climb! I didn't even know you could get up here, Major! How'd you find this place?"

"Just wandered," he said. "Followed the signs of no people."

"You're not sorry, are you?" asked McKay, in a tone she'd never heard him use. He was hunched inside his jacket, hands tucked into his pockets, and his head turned toward Sheppard as if desperate for the answer. "They were going to kill us all--"

"Rodney, stop." Sheppard shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "I'm just taking a break, that's all. Clearing my head."

McKay shut up, hunching his shoulders even more.

Nobody spoke. The wind muttered in their ears and they slowly relaxed, leaning against the railing and looking out on the city and the ocean. McKay pulled a treat out of his pocket, ripped open the wrapper and then hesitated. Instead of eating it immediately, he handed it to Sheppard, who took a bite and passed it along wordlessly. Teyla merely nibbled; the Earthers' candies were usually too sweet for her.

On the platform on the next-tallest tower, Teyla saw a dark bundle. She nudged Sheppard and pointed to it. He smiled. "Nest," he said.

She smiled back, as he leaned his head back against the center pole, the sunlight striking his face fully. There were no shadows on his face that she could discern. Teyla watched as a great sea-bird landed on the nest and began to weave a branch into it. Perhaps it was a branch tossed up by the storm, or perhaps the bird had carried it all the way from the mainland, flying such a great distance to start a family. As an omen, it was more than acceptable, Teyla decided.

Her father had always said that in an imperfect world, one managed however one could, with grace and fellowship. The rest was up to the universe.

She leaned against Ford's leg and smiled into the wind.

*


End file.
